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Sep-04-2009 11:53TweetFollow @OregonNews Gaza in 24 hoursBy Dr. Mona El-Farra Special to Salem-News.comI want the world to remember what was done here in Gaza, and that those of who are picking up the pieces, as hard as we try, we cannot forget.
(GAZA CITY, Occupied Palestine) - As soon as I arrived home, I felt a great relief, if that is the right word. I had been unable to return home to Gaza since before the 23 days of bombing of Gaza earlier this year, because of the ongoing siege. I am not sure that the word relief summarizes my intense and conflicting emotions. Mixed feelings of relief, happiness, but also disorientation, continued to overwhelm me. Gaza my beautiful home, yes. As soon as I arrived home, I felt a great relief, if that is the right word. I had been unable to return home to Gaza since before the 23 days of bombing of Gaza earlier this year, because of the ongoing siege. I am not sure that the word relief summarizes my intense and conflicting emotions. Mixed feelings of relief, happiness, but also disorientation, continued to overwhelm me. Gaza my beautiful home, yes, my beautiful home, my beautiful people, who are trying so hard to live. To continue from one day to another. Despite the odds, the hardships, the deaf ears of the world. The same day of my arrival home, July 9th 2009, I could see from my balcony the rubble of what had been at one time Arafat's headquarters, The whole building was completely demolished, leveled to the ground, blowing out the windows on one side of my apartment building. It is the same place where one of my cousins was killed in the first day of the attack assault against Gaza last December -January. I now see a different Gaza, and it is not the Gaza I have known; it is like a city after an earthquake. Many of the historically important buildings were leveled to the ground. I decided to postpone my field visits to the different areas where the assaults were the most savage and brutal. I thought it might be a good idea to wait for the arrival of the delegation of US citizens who were due to cross the border. In the meantime, I met some dear friends and workmates who came to say hello. All of them were loaded with war stories and the panic they faced during the attacks against Gaza. One friend who was a political prisoner, who spent 15 years in the Israeli jails, said to me, "I never felt afraid of anything there like the fear I felt this time." I find it strange to even write this sentence, but while we Palestinians are determined to continue our struggle, the reality is that this assault against Gaza was severe and fierce and cannot be forgotten. We will feel its effects as a people for a long time. Our friends from the US were only granted visas to visit Gaza for 24 hours. As I waited, I pondered 'How can we condense or begin to understand what children, women and men went through during 23 days of the assault in a 24 hours visit?' Upon the arrival of the VIVA PALESTINA USA delegation, I sat at the borders to receive the delegation with some colleagues from PNGO (Palestinian Non Governmental Organizations' Network). It was a touching and affectionate moment for me, to see American, British and French activists of different ages and ethnicities united under one goal, voicing to the world "Gaza, you are not alone; you are not forgotten, despite the shameful stand of the governments of the world, we stand with you, the people of Gaza!" We had to get immediately to work and were fortunate to have a solid team of colleagues. I was accompanied by Barbara Lubin, Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA) Director, Reem Salhi, an activist lawyer and human rights advocate, Danny Muller, a friend of MECA, Ehab Musalam, a MECA trainer and volunteer in Gaza, Travis Wilkerson, a filmmaker and professor, Jaiel Kayed, a computer expert and Palestinian American, Talal Abu Shaweesh, Director of New Horizons, and Mohammed Magdalawi, a Gazan student and MECA volunteer. In Nussierat refugee camp, we were invited by New Horizons [Afaq Jadeeda] to see the activities of their project, loosely translated as 'Let them Play and Heal,' a program treating childhood trauma and sponsored by the Middle East Children's Alliance. We had the chance to see hundreds of children's happy little faces, singing along with the debka performance, which was one of many activities working to help the children recover after the war trauma. There were around 500 kids , 6-12 years old, boys and girls with their mothers, as the project targets mothers and their children. We then visited Al-Bureij School, where MECA has implemented water purification and desalinization systems to provide clean drinking water for schoolchildren. This is one of three water treatment projects MECA has recently implemented in the refugee camps, and we aim to build many more with the help of our friends and allies. We then moved to the north and while the van was going on, we could clearly see many demolished homes everywhere, and tent cities around the homes where families now lived. We could not miss the Zaytoun area, where one of the many tragic events of the war occurred at the home of the Samoni family. The van went through neighborhood after neighborhood, through areas of vast destruction. How can I convey to you what I have seen in the little faces, eyes of sadness mixed with hope and excitement? On top of that, some of the kids who had broken or missing arms and legs, post operative scars, who are living in the rubble of their former homes, with their little voices, they tried to tell us their stories. I listened to their stories. I stopped writing about the rest of our activities, the rest of our day, the rest of my return home. At that moment I felt, and still feel, "I don't want to hear or listen, I just want to cuddle these children and help them to forget." But I want the world to remember what was done here in Gaza, and that those of who are picking up the pieces, as hard as we try, we cannot forget. Dr. Mona El-Farra is a Palestinian physician and human rights and women's rights activist. She was born in Khan Younis, Gaza and has dedicated her live to improving the situation for women, children and families in Gaza. As MECA's Director of Gaza Projects, Dr. El-Farra oversees the distribution of food and medical aid and support for educational and recreational programs for children. She is also on the board of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society of the Gaza Strip and a member of the Union of Health Work Committees. Dr. El-Farra has a son and two daughters. Please donate: http://www.mecaforpeace.org/ ********************************************************************* Special thanks to mecaforpeace.org/ WORLD VIEW NEWS SERVICE Articles for September 3, 2009 | Articles for September 4, 2009 | Articles for September 5, 2009 | Support Salem-News.com: googlec507860f6901db00.html | |
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Alex September 7, 2009 8:29 am (Pacific time)
Editor: check up on your facts, because there was no "action" in the West Bank during the recent war in Gaza. Furthermore, you have an inaccurate view on Israel. Because for the most part, Israel is not a religious state. If Israel really did believe that Gaza was "their land," then they never would have disengaged from Gaza in 2005, taking away all Jewish settlers and IDF soldiers. This was supposed to be the first step towards peace. But what happened instead? Hamas killed all Fatah members and established a rule of terror in Gaza (after being elected in a purely democratic fashion, of course). They continue to deny Israel's basic right to exist and are actively plotting the destruction of Israel; this was the basis for the founding of Hamas (see their charter). Are there Israelis who use Judaism to justify stealing Palestinian land? Unfortunately, yes, and it is a sad distortion of an otherwise great religion. But what about Hamas, a religious organization which uses religion to terrorize its citizens, throw thousands upon thousands of indiscriminate rockets into Israel, and refuse to accept any notion of coexistence with Israel? You would be better off exposing that side of the story to the Western world.
Then again, I don't know how much longer you can continue to have an intelligent discussion, if you already have admitted to hating the settlers; as Ed put it, that hate is blinding your understanding of this very complex situation, that you put in such simple terms. I and almost all Israelis do not hate Palestinians; in fact, most Jews and Israelis support the creation of a Palestinian state. Is it too much to ask that Hamas should recognize a Jewish state of Israel? Please remove all hate so that we can discuss this in a sophisticated way.
PS: I don't know of anyone who uses YouTube videos or lack thereof to support or derail a claim. YouTube is a great tool, but not the decider of arguments and conflicts.
Editor: I admit that I am not there and likely have the first part wrong, thanks for the correction. As for Israel not being a religious state, WHAT? Friend, the one and only thing Israel is is the Jewish state and it is 100% religious, based in religious doctrine that tells a group that a certain part of the earth is theirs. Nothing will even be solved until Israel halts is campaign of violence against the Palestinian people. And by the way, as a journalist, I constantly use YouTube videos. You can't belittle that concept. It's is called reality, that has to be a hard subject for you.
Ed September 6, 2009 8:41 pm (Pacific time)
1. Nobody is denying Hamas' right to exist--if it condemns terror and accepts Israel's right to exist. 2. Israel has stolen nothing--it left Gaza and got rocket attacks in return. 3. The rocket attacks are not "alleged"; they are fact. 4. The unbalance of deaths is certainly a tragedy, but how else do you stop the rocket attacks? 5. No one is talking about Biblical politics; these are modern day realities. Israel would live in peace if others stop terrorizing it. 6. And your tone above is based on hate ("stolen," "over-the-top," "Murderous," etc.). Hate blinds understanding, and unless you can temper that hatred, peace will never come.
Editor: You have me dead to rights: I admit that I hate murder and injustice, yet I think that gives us strength and not the opposite. I probably do spend way too much time with this subject, but then the rest of the western world is paying too little attention. These places are the crossroads of all history and all cultures and religions, and the Zionist movement is one of total and extreme prejudice. I hate the position the greedy settlers place the good people of Palestine in and I hate the illegal weapons Israel uses. You tell me that I have to lose the hate, and I believe sadly that until more people understand what is taking place, and defy the indifference, that nothing will change .
Eli September 6, 2009 5:36 pm (Pacific time)
Wow talk about misinformed: what hundreds of children re you talking about Mr Editor, the ones whose aid is stolen by Hamas murderers or the ones used as human shields. Also once again there were also way less then 1400 killed (try less then 1000 by the most biased Red Cross count) and the "so called" rocket attacks are a documented fact that is sadly ignored, along with the plight of Gilad Shalit (held against the laws of the Red Cross you cry to every time your IEDs explode and kill innocents to try and blame Israel for). Lastly the so called history you study is clearly in need of massive correction because it seems Israel is the only country in the history of the world that not only defeated an invasion countless times against all U.N. resolutions and policy (but also moral and human rights you also love to cry about) but also conquered the land of the aggressor legally and morally. So Mr Editor you can come back with your aggressive lies and cry to the media but facts are facts and the truth will be known.
Editor: The number is 1400 and it sounds like the deaths of all those poor people is something you simply want to mask. You can not change fact, if you want to see how the IDF operates then just visit this site more often, or search Gaza on YouTube, only you wouldn't want to see it, because you would just have to deny more facts. The Hamas rockets were a reprisal ro Israel renigging on its agreement to open border crossings. Israel treats Palestinian people like animals and it is sickening that the world allow it. So you can say what you do and I am quite sure that you will, I just hope that you pay attention to the real facts and learn that Israel has a lot of correcting to do, and a lot of apologizing to do, and a lot of immoral charges to answer to.
Alex September 6, 2009 5:28 pm (Pacific time)
Editor: the rocket attacks from Hamas are not "alleged" and the four killed by Hamas rocket attacks are not "supposed;" both are hard facts, which you try to mitigate by adding words like "alleged" and "supposed." There are no "Biblical politics" for blaming Hamas; it is a simple fact of the situation. While Hamas was elected by Gazans, you can hardly call that a legitimate election. They used scare tactics and terrorism to gain votes. Worst of all, they destroyed any opposition by murdering all Fatah members in broad daylight; so much for having democratically elected leaders in Gaza. Furthermore it is simply hateful to call the IDF "Murderous" and to call Israel "marauding and dangerous." The IDF is extremely careful to not kill any innocent civilian when in combat. This is not to say that Israel did not make mistakes in the war; God knows they did. But to put all of the blame on Israel and to ignore the real problem of Hamas (an organization whose stated purposed is to destroy Israel) is to ignore history and facts.
Editor: Alex, I wish somebody would show me the YouTube clips of what you describe, and I am not totally disagreeing with what you said. No doubt each and every group in the world, including the IDF, has good people in its ranks. But day after day it is Israeli helicopters attacking targets in Gaza, IDF troops attacking peaceful protesters and journalists for covering action on the West Bank. IDF forces routinely violate international law with their cross border incursions, but the worst part is keepin the people of Gaza locked in like caged animals. End of story, Israel does not use humanity in its treatment of the Palestinian people. The doctrine they live by tells them that it is their land, and therefore all logic and regular moral arguments go out the door, because the Israeli's believe God told them it is "their land" and that is exactly how they go about their business. It is my role in the world to expose this to western readers.
Dan September 5, 2009 5:54 pm (Pacific time)
Yes, there is destruction and ruin in Gaza, but please put the blame in the right place. The blame here is NOT on Israel, rather is on the terrorist militia that violently took over the region after Israel's unilateral withdrawal in 2006- Hamas. By launching continued attacks on Israel (and giving Israel no choice but to attempt to stop the madness), stealing money and aid designated for the people, and imposing violent shariah law over Gaza they have single-handedly destroyed Gaza. Israel was not fighting Gaza, they were fighting Hamas. Hamas are the ones launching rockets every single day at Israeli citizens, and Hamas are the ones who pillage and kill their own people.
Put blame where blame is due.
Editor: No Dan, that is not how it goes. Hamas is a legitimately elected political group that is denied its rightful existence. The Israeli's have stolen what is now theirs, and yet you somehow think a few scattered militants are the source of the problem. They are not, they are simply the reaction to the over-the-top terrorist policies of Israel and the Murderous IDF. You really need to study up. During tbe December/January attacks on Gaza, over 1,400 Gazans were killed, among them several hundreds purely innocent school children. Why? Because of the alleged "Hamas rocket attacks." So what is the score from that event you ask? Well, four people were supposedly killed by the Hamas rockets, four were killed by Israel's own friendly fire, and six somehow managed to die in the fighting even though Israel mostly relied on White Phospherous which is illegal to use as a military weapon, not that the IDF cares. You see Dan, we're a studied group that relies on history for our knowledge, not Biblical politics. Israel has been a marauding and dangerous state that has gained the hatred of the entire world.
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